Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Will post-Kentucky blues haunt UA?
FAYETTEVILLE — Known to afflict SEC teams the game after beating Kentucky, the Arkansas Razorbacks will learn Wednesday at Missouri if the Kentucky blues also afflicts teams playing hard and close but losing to the Wildcats.
Off Saturday’s hard-fought 63-57 loss to Kentucky at Arkansas’ Walton Arena, the Razorbacks (10-10, 1-6 SEC) and Missouri Tigers (8-12, 0-7) clash at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo., on the SEC Network.
Kentucky, perpetually the SEC’s most coveted team to beat, brings SEC opponents to such a fever pitch that teams overcoming the Wildcats tend next game finding their adrenaline wells run dry.
Texas A&M’s Aggies, at their Reed Arena, poured all they had into upending Kentucky 99-92 in overtime the Saturday before coming into Walton Jan. 16 to face these notoriously slow-starting Razorbacks.
No Arkansas slow start that game. The Aggies wandered in a typical post-Kentucky daze as Arkansas led by 20 during the first half before A&M awakened. Arkansas recovered from A&M’s lone lead for a 78-77 triumph, the Razorbacks’ lone SEC success thus far.
The South Carolina Gamecocks, start to finish leading Arkansas, won 77-64 at Walton then at their Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C., stunned Kentucky 79-62. Last Saturday, they allowed Missouri an opening 11-0 second half run to trail at Colonial. They finally subdued the SEC-winless Tigers 72-64, far less expansively than upending No. 6 Kentucky.
Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman mostly expressed displeasure with his Hogs’ effort in blowout SEC losses to Auburn and South Carolina at home and on the road to Florida, and Ole Miss.
Not so last Saturday. “Well I’m really proud of the effort,” Musselman told the Razorback Sports Network for postgame radio openers. “I’ve not been happy with the effort over the course of the last couple of weeks. Tonight I can’t fault their effort.”
After the 77-51 loss Jan. 24 loss at Ole Miss, Musselman acerbically remarked forwards Makhi Mitchell, Jalen Graham and Chandler Lawson combined for zero defensive rebounds.
The trio amassed 18 defensive rebounds against Kentucky and totaled 22 rebounds for both boards. Mitchell posted a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds. Lawson gathered 7 boards and Graham had 8 points and 2 rebounds. They erased the boards without the accustomed help from injured 6-10 starting forward Trevon Brazile.
“I thought that was the best game that Khi Mitchell has played for us since he’s been here,” Musselman said.
“I thought Graham and Lawson battled and did all they could do against a super talented front line. And we’re short-handed.”
The Hogs were also missing guard Davonte “Devo” Davis.
Too bad Arkansas’ last Devo memory likely will be him “stepped away from the program” as a struggling senior before the Hogs hosted Kentucky.
Arkansas’ permanently lasting Devo memory deserves realizing the previous three Razorbacks teams never would have attained three Sweet 16s and two Elite Eights without him.